"That's enough from you," Director Su said with a tight-lipped smile, clearly holding back a chuckle. "The master is a friend of the dean, after all. We shouldn't be too quick to judge him in private. In the world of theories, he's a big shot." He practically spat the words "big shot" with a half-grin.
The young teacher scoffed, unable to keep quiet any longer. "Big shot? More like a famous clown. Everyone just laughs at him. That's all he's known for!"
Arthev raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, his lips curling slightly at the exchange. Another young teacher piped up, more seriously this time, as she handed Arthev his clothes and other belongings.
"Your name's Arthev, right? Your dorm is also in Qishe. I just want to warn you—keep your friend away from the master. Sure, his Blue Silver Grass might be 'rare,' but that doesn't mean it won't be used as a guinea pig for the master's theory."
Arthev nodded with an expression that said, I'll keep that in mind and walked out, muttering a quiet "Thank you" and a respectful salute.
Outside the teaching office, Tang San had been eavesdropping just enough to catch the conversation. He shook his head slightly, a wry smile forming. It wasn't directed at the master—he was used to that nonsense by now—but rather at the teachers inside.
"They're all just a bunch of shortsighted fools," Tang San muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes as he walked away.
As Arthev made his way to Qishe, he happened upon Tang San and Wang Sheng locked in a little sparring match. Without much interest, Arthev found an empty bed and plopped down to watch the show.
And honestly, Tang San wasn't bad. His Tang Clan techniques were impressive—especially his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step and Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon. It was like watching a graceful dance, but with the added benefit of disabling opponents.
The fight ended almost as quickly as it started when Tang San gracefully subdued Wang Sheng with a well-timed move.
But as the fight ended and Tang San noticed Arthev watching from the sidelines, he felt a slight pang of embarrassment. After all, Arthev had just directly ignored his master and refused to bow down to the "great" Yu Xiaogang. Tang San gave Arthev a glance but said nothing.
"The nerve of that guy," he thought.
"Making me look like a complete fool."
But he quickly pushed it aside. It wasn't his problem. After all, who cared what a kid from a small village thought about his master?
"Hello, is this Qishe?"
A sweet, melodious voice echoed through the dormitory, causing every boy inside to freeze for a moment. Their heads turned simultaneously, as if drawn by some invisible force, only to be met with a small, smiling girl standing at the door.
Tang San who was sitting across from Wang Sheng, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Wang Sheng, are we really living with women too?" Tang San whispered, not sure if he was hallucinating.
Wang Sheng gave him a sideways glance, chuckling under his breath. "Yeah, boss. It's gender-neutral here for the younger students. They don't separate us until we hit the intermediate soul master level."
Tang San blinked, trying to process the new information. He had always been more focused on his training—hidden weapons and assassination techniques were about the extent of his expertise. Living with girls? That was a plot twist he hadn't prepared for.
Seeing Tang San go quiet, Wang Sheng took the opportunity to nudge him. "Boss, quick! Go talk to her!"
Tang San looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. Really?
Wang Sheng gave him a pleading look, as if saying, Don't break the dorm rules, you know the drill.
Sighing, Tang San reluctantly got up, smoothing his clothes, and walked over to the girl. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Hello, my name is Tang San. I'm the dorm leader here. Just call me by my name. What's your martial soul?"
Xiao Wu, still standing by the door, grinned brightly. "Hello! My name is Xiao Wu, Dancing Wu!"
Tang San blinked. Dancing Wu? He couldn't help but wonder if she was referring to her martial soul or her style of introduction.
But before he could ask, Wang Sheng was practically giving him a kick from behind.
"Boss! Quick! Or I'll tell everyone you're scared of talking to girls!" Wang Sheng whispered fiercely, a mischievous grin on his face.
Xiao Wu blinked her big, lively eyes and grinned. "My martial soul is a rabbit—a very cute little white rabbit!"
Tang San's expression stiffened slightly. A rabbit? He suddenly had a strange thought and hesitated before saying, "Then… doesn't that make my martial soul your food? Mine is Blue Silver Grass."
Xiao Wu giggled. "Oh? Are you worried I'll eat you? Don't worry, I only eat tasty grass!"
Tang San sighed internally. Why does this conversation feel like I'm already losing?
Xiao Wu tilted her head playfully and said,
"So? Are you going to keep standing at the door, or do I get to come in?"
Tang San, regaining his composure, replied with a helpless smile, "Well, actually, we have a tradition here. New work-study students have to show their strength. So… I want to challenge you to a sparring match."
"Sparring? That sounds fun!" Xiao Wu clapped her hands excitedly, her eyes shining with excitement.
The dorm immediately erupted with chatter.
Then, in an instant, he realized what the worst was.
Before he could even blink, Xiao Wu's footwork turned elusive, and her body spun with unnatural grace. One moment she was in front of him, and the next—
BAM!
Tang San was sent flipping through the air like a helpless ragdoll, landing with a soft thud on the dormitory floor. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the ceiling. What just happened?
Arthev, who had been watching with his Shinragan active,Interesting. She's using soft skills to redirect force.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu happily dusted off her hands. "Well, that was easy!" She placed her bundle on a bed, then turned to the stunned dormitory. "Since Tang San lost, that means I'm the new boss of Qishe!"
The room fell silent for a beat before bursting into laughter and cheers. Wang Sheng muttered under his breath, "Boss… you got dethroned in record time."
When Wang Sheng saw Tang San lying flat on the floor, processing his unexpected defeat, he didn't hesitate. He immediately turned to Xiao Wu, straightened his posture, and led the entire dormitory in unison:
"Hello, boss! ×9!"
Xiao Wu's triumphant smile faltered as she frowned. "That doesn't sound good. It makes me sound old!"
Wang Sheng scratched his head awkwardly. "Boss, it's tradition. We always call the strongest 'Boss.'"
Xiao Wu crossed her arms, deep in thought, then suddenly clapped her hands. "I got it! From now on, call me Sister Xiaowu! That way, I'm still the boss, but it sounds cuter."
The dormitory was silent for a second. Then, like obedient soldiers, everyone nodded and shouted:
"Hello, Sister Xiaowu! ×9!"
Satisfied, Xiao Wu beamed and placed her hands on her hips. "Alright! Now, who's going to tell me about this academy? I need details, people!"
Wang Sheng, now fully resigned to his fate, sighed and stepped forward. "Sister Xiaowu, I'll explain."
He cleared his throat and began, "We work-study students basically do all the cleaning for the academy. The specific tasks are assigned by the teachers. There are six grades in total, one class per grade. You and Tang San are first-years, while the rest of us range from second to sixth grade."
He paused, then continued, "The academy holds classes every morning—one on cultural knowledge and the other on martial arts. In the afternoons, we usually have practice, but most of us work-study students take on small jobs to earn money for food."
Xiao Wu nodded along, looking like a big boss inspecting her new territory. "Hmm, not bad. And what about your martial souls? Who's the strongest among you?"
Wang Sheng puffed up his chest. "That would be me! My martial soul is a tiger—King of Beasts! My soul power is already at level nine. Just one more level and I can go on a soul beast hunt to get my first soul ring. After that, I'll become a full-fledged soul master!"
A dramatic gust of wind seemed to blow through the dorm as everyone turned to Xiao Wu, waiting for her reaction.
She blinked. "Oh, so you're strong?"
"Of course!" Wang Sheng grinned, flexing his arms.
Xiao Wu's lips curled into a playful smirk.
"That's cute."
Wang Sheng's grin twitched. "…Cute?"